If That's What You Need
by Tomy
Summary: What if Michael were to visit Stevie after the events of Let It Be Me?


Knight Rider characters copyright Glen A Larson  
Lyrics from the album Calling All Stations - copyright Genesis 1997   
  
  
I established in A Knight's Performance that during times of stress or duress, Michael would search out someone from his 'past' and watch them for a time. Capitalizing on that idea, this dose of LHS was born ;)  
  
Set somewhere between Let It Be Me and Scent Of Roses.  
  
It's not about us anymore,  
It's all about the reasons  
we think we're fighting for  
It's not about hate  
It's not about pain we always feel  
I know we have our problems  
But we're not the only ones  
It's not about you, it's not about me  
It's not about anger  
It's more about the loneliness we feel.  
  
~Not About Us - Genesis  
  
If That's What You Need  
by Tomy  
  
  
Michael felt the car hit him, felt himself being thrown onto the hood and roll with sheer momentum over the roof. His mind acknowledged the sudden bump of the car under him as it struck the woman. Grief, disappointment, guilt and a myriad of other emotions flooded him.   
  
He hit the ground hard, sliding along the pavement before coming to a jarring stop against the curb. Lifting himself from his position on his stomach, his elbow barely held him; too many throbbing points of pain for him to count.   
  
His eyes locked on the motionless form of the woman he was supposed to have protected. Stupidly his brain told him that she would no longer fear for her life.   
  
Lifting his head the yellow car had turned around, was coming back at him. He tried to stand, but his body wanted nothing to do with that idea. Lying there, struggling to move, it struck him as funny that fear was not on the long list of things he was feeling.  
  
He heard Kitt swing around the corner. No other vehicle made that particular sound - a mix of turbine engine and indestructible tyres.   
  
The black blur flashed before his eyes, cutting off the yellow car, protecting him.   
  
Kitt momentarily panicked. The yellow car was still coming at him, gaining in speed. "Michael, get up!" If the car rammed him, he would be pushed into his partner. Popping the passenger door, he called out again. This time Michael's eyes focused.   
  
Crawling, Michael just reached the door as the other car nailed Kitt's driver's side. The force sent Michael flying onto his back, breath knocked out of him. Gasping for air, he watched the yellow car make its escape, retreating at high speeds down the suburban streets.   
  
**  
  
"There was nothing you could have done." Kitt gently tried to prod his partner out of his three day silence.   
  
Michael glanced down at the voice modulator, then back to concentrating on driving.   
  
"I know." Michael broke the silence a few minutes later, startling Kitt. "I just.."  
  
"...feel responsible." Kitt finished for him, understanding, but needing to get them passed this.   
  
"How did I miss that car?" Michael slammed the steering wheel in frustration.  
  
"I think sometimes you overestimate your limitations."  
  
"What does that mean?" There was a dark, underlying tone to the question.   
  
"Meaning that you are only human. You make mistakes. And if there is blame to be placed, I think it should be placed on me."   
  
"You? Why?"   
  
"I neglected to scan the car, I failed to protect both of you." There was no mistaking the self-reproach in his tone.  
  
"Then we're both to blame." He turned a corner, losing Kitt as to where they were heading. "Can we live with that?"  
  
"Is there a choice in the matter?"  
  
"No, Pal, I guess there isn't."  
  
"We did catch him."  
  
"Just a little too late." Pulling up to the curb, Michael parked the car, sitting back, his chin on his fist, elbow resting the door, he stared at a house down the road and across the street.   
  
"Where are we, Michael?"  
  
"Stevie's new place," was the matter-of-fact answer.  
  
"When did you...?" Usually Michael asked him to locate people, this was the first time Michael knew something of this sort before Kitt did.  
  
"She sent me a card with her new address on it."  
  
"Do you think she knows?"  
  
"Probably," there was a knowing smile on his face. One that quickly disappeared. "Maybe it's time to be sure."  
  
"What are you doing?" Kitt thought of locking down as Michael reached for the door handle, then thought better of it.   
  
"I want to see her, talk to her for a bit."   
  
"This is highly irregular." Kitt tried again, unsure of how to tell his partner what his instructions were.  
  
Michael paused half out of the car. "I know, Kitt. And I know this goes against the rules, but when did the Foundation gain control of my life? We've been through too much for me not to know the repercussions. All I want is to spend some time with her. Is that really asking so much?"  
  
"I'll keep my scanners peeled." That won him a smile.  
  
"Thanks."   
  
  
*  
  
The house itself was fairly mundane. Not Stevie's typical style. She wasn't one for extravagance, but this was below what Michael had assumed was her standards. The small two story house stood squashed in a row with many others of the same style. What Michael commonly referred to as 'Monopoly Houses'; the growing trend for developers to build many similar type structures to cut costs.   
  
It took the character out of neighbourhoods in his opinion.   
  
Knocking on the door, his heart pounding, he began to doubt his intentions, to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He was still hurting from his flip over the other car, and the ensuing fight once he finally caught up with the guy.   
  
Before he had a chance to second guess himself again, the door opened a crack to reveal a very surprised Stevie.   
  
"Michael?" She opened the door fully to make sure she wasn't seeing an illusion.  
  
"Hello, Stevie." Glancing passed her into the narrow hallway, shocked to the core as a man and two children descended the stairs.   
  
"Stevie, can we.... Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you had company." The average sized and looking man smiled politely, holding the young girls' hands.  
  
"Look... if this is a bad time, I can come back later." Michael stepped back from the doorway.   
  
"Oh, no, Michael, it's fine." Stevie quickly tried to recover the situation, seeing the hurt in Michael's expression was tearing at her. She'd felt such a surge of happiness when she realized it was him standing on her doorstep. "Brad, will you be out long?" By the time she turned back, Michael was already halfway down the driveway.   
  
"We'll be back late tonight, going to take them to the movie afterwards." Stevie returned the smile as she grabbed her keys off the table and rushed out the door, praying she'd catch up to Michael before he reached Kitt.   
  
Striding across the street, he knew he had no right to feel like this. That he had no claim on her anymore. To think that was ludicrous. But it hurt just the same.   
  
"Michael! Michael wait! It's not what you think."   
  
Turning as she ran across the road, the ache consumed him again. Kitt had been right, he should have left well enough alone.   
  
"Please Michael, can we talk about this?"  
  
"Look, Stevie, you have every right to move on with your life."  
  
Not waiting for things to get worse, she interrupted him. "Brad's a room mate. We share the house. He and the kids have the upper level, I have the bottom apartment and we share the main level." Michael's confused and somewhat relieved expression spurred her into continuing. "After the tour, the band broke up. There was too much bad blood. Too many harsh accusations. I was left searching for another life. I began working at a diner and met Brad. He was struggling to keep a roof over his kids' heads after his wife died." Stevie shrugged as Michael leaned on Kitt's door, listening, relaxing. "After a few months, we agreed to split the costs of renting a house." She smiled, knowing he believed her.  
  
The rush of relief almost knocked him off his feet. Leaning heavily on Kitt's door, he realized just how tired she looked, that she'd lost weight. "What are you doing now?"   
  
"I recently landed a job performing evenings at a local upscale restaurant." She had remained at a comfortable distance from him, not crowding him, afraid he'd leave her again. Yet, she had to know. "Why are you here, Michael?"  
  
His head dropped, is arms crossing in front of his chest. "I wanted to see you, talk to you." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Guess I almost blew it, huh?"  
  
"You've always been one to jump first, think later."   
  
"Affirmative," Kitt spoke up for the first time, breaking the tension as they both smiled.  
  
Reaching forward, as he had wanted to do right from the start, he let his hand rest against her cheek, his fingers sliding through her hair.   
  
"Shall we take this somewhere more private?" There were no assumptions in her tone. Wanting to just sit with him, have a quiet conversation; he took her hand, letting her lead him back to the house and down the stairs to where she lived.  
  
**  
  
The basement section of the house was surprisingly bright and open, far more so than the main level he had just walked through. There were windows lining the entire south wall, the decor was in light beige and white, with mirrors on the far wall, adding to the warmth of the room. Straight ahead of him, the hallway opened up into a living room, behind him, the kitchen, bathroom and he could just make out another doorway, to what he assumed was her bedroom.   
  
She kept a tight hold on his hand, afraid if she let go, he'd disappear, that this would fade from reality. Once in the living room, she waited for him to settle on the couch before dropping to sit on the wooden coffee table directly in front of him. He was obviously distressed, allowing her to know there was far more to his visit then he was letting on.   
  
"You could have called..." he began gently, not wanting to take his eyes off her, refusing to let go of her hands.  
  
She smiled, a sad expression. "You've always been there to help pick me up. This time I needed to do it on my own. For now, while things are as they stand, I need to have my own life."  
  
He nodded, understanding, yet feeling responsible for her situation. "I'm glad you let me know you'd settled."  
  
The smile was genuine this time. "Me too. I'm glad you're here." He looked at her, confused. "The supermarket isn't always enough."   
  
"No it's not." It hadn't been his intention, but the way she was looking at him, the comfort he felt in her presence. His hands shifted from her lap to hold her as he moved closer to her, his breath catching as she responded in kind. The kiss shocked them both with its intensity. Standing he drew her closer, holding her as it deepened. She had forgotten how it felt to be with him, how easy it was, how right and wonderful it always had been. Without conscious thought, she began moving around the furniture, out to the hallway and down to her bedroom, never releasing her hold on him.  
  
**  
  
Lying on the blanket on the sand where they had been dozing, Stevie rolled over to find Michael asleep on Kitt's hood. She couldn't prevent the smile. It had been an amazing day. It wasn't the just love making; it was spending time with him, talking to him. Afterwards, he had caught her staring at his bruises and it had all come tumbling out. The case, the woman he had been assigned to protect and the guilt weighing him down from his failure. She had lain beside him, curled into his shoulder, as he spoke, letting him talk it through, asking him questions, ones she was sure Kitt had asked him as well. It was something they had done a great deal when he was on the force. As much as she loved him, loved his personality, he took things too much to heart. He had needed to know that there hadn't been anything more he could have done. The only thing he could do was learn from their mistakes. That it was done and beating himself up over it wasn't going to help him protect the next person. That seemed to get through his thick skull.   
  
"I knew I needed to talk to you." He murmured into her hair, holding her close as they drifted off for a few hours.   
  
  
Reaching into the basket they had packed earlier for a beach picnic, she pulled out her camera. Kitt was parked not far behind where they had placed the blanket. Shifting on her elbows, she snapped a few pictures. He looked so at peace. His arms crossed behind his head, his long legs stretched out along the length of Kitt's hood, Kitt's scanner dark, as he too, took a break.   
  
It was something she needed to see, and needed to remember. Her worst fear was to receive a letter from Devon that Michael had not made it home - something she had made the older man promise years ago. Their time here, together wouldn't last. She knew that, and accepted it. Soon he would head back, or be called in and their lives would return to what they had been before his visit. She would never regret any time spent with him, as brief as it may be. The gorgeous picture in front of her however, was something she wanted to keep forever.   
  
  
**  
  
  
Bonnie slammed Kitt's hood down, for once they had returned from an assignment with no more than regular wear and tear on Kitt's systems. Pulling the driver's door open inside the garage, she dropped into the low seat, ready to run a quick diagnostic, glancing up, she caught sight of a picture taped to the glove box. It was a beautiful picture. Michael sleeping stretched out on Kitt's hood. Kitt's scanner was dark, the sunset reflecting off the polished black exterior and the sand they were parked on. It radiated peace and contentment.   
  
"Kitt, where did this picture come from?"   
  
"Stevie took it a few weeks ago." Michael's voice from behind her startled her.   
  
Bonnie smiled. She had wondered where they had disappeared to for two days after the Becky assignment. Michael had been despondent when they had left and returned with a completely different outlook. "It's beautiful." There was not other word to describe the photo.  
  
Michael visibly relaxed knowing she understood. "Yeah, it is." 


End file.
